See more detail about the celebration see a full description of the Loy Krathong/Yee Peng

Loy Krathong Schedule of Events, Chiang Mai 2012

Via the Tourism Authority of Thailand here are the official events:

Schedule of Yee Peng 2011 (Loy Krathong Festival) in Chiang Mai

• Nov. 8, 2011 Lantern Parade in the evening from Thapae Gate to Chang Klan Rd.
• Nov. 9-10, 2011 Miss Yee Peng Beauty Contest & Kiddy Contest
• Nov. 10, 2011 Floating Krathong Parade in the evening from Thapae Gate to Prai Sa Nee Rd. till Municipality Office (white Pagoda)
• Nov. 11, 2011 Big Krathong Parade in the evening from Thapae Gate to Prai Sa Nee Rd. till Municipality Office (white Pagoda)

Call +66 (0) 5324 5032

More detail to follow:

Yee Peng Muang Chiang Mai Nov. 8-11, 2011

1. Press conference at 3 Kings Monument 18.00 – 19.30 6-Nov
2. Yi Peng Lantern Sculptures display All day/night/ 6 Nov-15 Nov/Around the City
3. Release Khom Fai All day/night/ 6 Nov-15 Nov/Chang Puak Gate
4. International Lantern Festival Display All day/night/6 Nov-15 Nov/3 Kings Monument
5. King’s Elephant sculpture exhibition All day/night/6 Nov-15 Nov/ Governors Residence
6. Lantern display theme “Most beautiful city of culture” All day/night/6 Nov-15 Nov/Tha Pae Gate
7. Thai country music & Northern songs contest 18.00 – 24.00 8/ 10/ 11Nov Municipality
8. Opening ceremony of Yi Peng Festival 18.30 – 19.00 8Nov Tha Pae Gate
9. Yi Peng Lantern Parade & Contest 19.00 – 22.00 8Nov Tha Pae Gate to Pantip Plaza
10. Yi Peng Kids contest 19.00 – 24.00 9Nov Municipal Office
11. Floating banana leaf Krathong contest All day 9/10/11Nov Around the moat 12.Floating Krathong contest All day 9/10/11Nov Around the moat
12. Temple Gates decorations All day/night 9/10/11Nov Temples in the area
13. Traditional Dharma Sermon, Rice Alms Giving & 09.00 – 22.00 9/10/11Nov Wat Lok Moli Traditional Khom Fai Contest
14. Ceremony to preserve Northern culture & pay respects to Phra Sirimangkala 10.00 – 23.00 9/10/11Nov Buddha Satan
15. Music talent show- alcohol free zone 18.00 – 24.00 9/10/11Nov On the river
16. Traditional Lanna Khom Loy release 18.00 – 24.00 9/10/11Nov Iron Bridge
17. Miss Yi Peng Beauty contest 18.00 – 24.00 9/10Nov Tha Pae Gate
18. Dharma Sermon and ceremony for Yi Peng 06.00 – 20.00 10Nov Wat Chiang Man
19. Worship ceremony to the spirit house, 08.09 – 10.30 10Nov Municipality, Sri Ping River & White Pagoda Khong Pier
20. Khom Loy contest 09.00 – 12.00 10Nov Municipality
21. Natural materials Krathong making contest 09.00 – 17.00 10Nov Municipality 23.Small Krathong Parade 19.00 – 23.00 10Nov Tha Pae Gate to Municipality
22. 1,984 Khom Fai lanterns released to honor the Lord Buddha 21.59 – 22.30 10Nov City Bridges, Municipality
23. Releasing Floating Krathong Sai (Krathong on a long line) 19.00 – 21.00 10/11Nov Front of Ping River
24. Fireworks presentation for the H.M. the King 19.00 – 24.00 10/11Nov Front of Municipality
25. Grand Loy Krathong Parade and King’s Cup Contest 18.00 – 24.00 11Nov Tha Pae Gate to Municipality

See more detail about the celebration see a full description of the Loy Krathong/Yee Peng

Sadly, some parts of central Thailand have experienced some incredible struggle and difficulties with the floods. Fortunately, our volunteers and projects near the mountains in Chiang Mai and the beaches of southern Thailand near Surat Thani are dry and completely unaffected. We are accepting volunteers and daily life has continued as normal. The flood waters that have affected the areas of southern Thailand are expected to slowly flow into the sea within the next couple of weeks. Our thoughts are with those who are affected by the floods near Bangkok.

A New Group of 17 Volunteers!

Arriving tomorrow and Friday is a group of 17 volunteers that will be starting their projects on Monday, the 7th of November. In this group is Safir, our fist Indonesian volunteer, who will be participating in our Teaching Monks Volunteer Project for 8 weeks. It’ll be a busy, but fun orientation weekend.

Loy Krathong – A Northern Thai Festival

A benefit that our current and new volunteers will be experiencing is a beautiful northern Thai festival named “Loy Krathong.” During this festival Thais give thanks to “mother river” which gives them life and prosperity. Intricately hand made banana leaf boats with incense and candles are made by children and adults. A blessing of thanks and a wish of prosperity is made to the river before the small biodegradable banana leaf boats are placed upon the water’s surface to float down river with the current, illuminating the rivers and canals of nothern Thailand for the night of the full moon. Hot air lanterns are also lit and released along the clear, starry November night sky. A small prayer and wish is made before releasing the hot air lantern. With any Thai holiday, it wouldn’t be complete without a parade and traditional Thai clothes and dance.

The iconic elephant has been a symbol of Thailand for hundreds of years. Previously used as instruments of war, then vehicles for moving timber during Thailand’s logging days, elephants are deep rooted in Thai history and society. A stroll down Chiang Mai’s artisan Sunday walking street market will reveal countless pieces of elephant related art and images.

Elephant Camp Volunteer Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDQ7Q9pgQEI

Elephant Camp Volunteers

Our Elephant Camp Volunteer Project participate for a variety of reasons. Some come to simply experience these amazing, gentle giants first hand. Others come to educate themselves, family and friends of the plight of the Asian elephant. Maybe it’s because of the uniqueness of this project, but this project has been quite popular for families, couples and friends.

Elephant Camp Volunteer Tasks

Bathing elephants, cleaning elephant stalls, cutting grass and teaching English to the local children and staff is how our volunteers fill their days at the camp. Elephants are playful, but it’s not always fun and games at the camp. Elephants eat a lot and an extra hand in cutting grass can be a big help to some hungry elephants.

Elephant Camp Volunteer Accommodation

By spending four nights per week at the camp, volunteers are able to immerse themselves in the rural, northern Thai village where the camp is located.

Volunteers stay in one of two types of accommodation. Rooms above the camp’s gift shop are well appointed and comfortable, but the distinctive tree houses that overlook the mountain river and valley are a very unique type of accommodation that one will never forget.

For more information about the Elephant Camp Volunteer Project, click here.

Chiang Mai is Open for Business

The lovely mountains and city of Chiang Mai is open for business. The only impact is some transportation between Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

Surat Thani is Open for Business

The lovely beaches, shopping malls, and relaxing villas are all open for business in wonderful Surat Thani.

Every year on October 23 the Thai people celebrate the life and reign of King Chulalongkorn in a Thai public holiday known as Chulalongkorn Day. In years in which this day falls on a weekend, the following Monday is usually the replacement holiday and most government offices are closed.

In 2011, the replacement holiday is held on Monday, October 24th.

Chulalongkorn is a much-loved king also known as Rama V, as he was the fifth king of the Chakri Dynasty. He is credited with saving Thailand (then known as Siam) from the grasp of foreign powers during the heyday of European imperialism at the end of the nineteenth century. He did this mainly through a combination of modernizing reforms and shrewd diplomacy.

Early Life of King Chulalongkorn

King Chulalongkorn was born on September 20, 1853. His father, King Mongkut, gave him a broad education, including foreign tutors such as Anna Leonowens, whose life was later the subject of popular films like Anna and the King. When his father died in 1867 the young crown prince was still only fifteen years old, so he was placed under the care of a regent. As soon as he was eighteen, Chulalongkorn left Thailand to visit Singapore, Java and India, to study their administration. This journey became the source of his ideas for the modernization and reform of Siam.

Reforms of Chulalongkorn

When he was twenty-one he abolished the regency and ruled as sole absolute monarch. The reforms began almost immediately, the first being the abolition of the corrupt tax collection system, organized and controlled by influential aristocratic families. Later, he re-organized the army, setting up the Royal Military Academy in in 1887. A Thai Naval Academy was set up in 1898. He also reformed the legal system, abolishing the custom of judicial tortures and setting up a western style legal system. The current administrative system of provinces, districts (amphoe) and sub-districts (tambon) was adopted in 1897. The reform most associated with his name, however, was the abolition of slavery and serfdom. These customs were slowly set aside through a gradual process, until in 1905 slavery in all its forms was ended. The reverse of the current 100 baht note depicts King Chulalongkorn abolishing slavery.

The Threat from European Imperialism

At the beginning of Chulalongkorn’s reign Siam was not really a unitary nation-state, but more a collection of city-states that owed allegiance to the King of Siam. The encroaching European powers of France and Britain were able to exploit this loose structure by detaching these city-states and then incorporating them into their own territories. In this way, Siam lost all the Shan states to British Burma. The Malay sultanates of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis were lost to British Malaya. All the tributary states east of the Mekong River were lost to French Indo-China, as were the provinces of Battambang, Siemreap, and Srisophon in what is now Cambodia.

Chulalongkorn and Northern Thailand

As if this was not enough, both Britain and France were looking at ways of encroaching into Northern Thailand, and so this became King Chulalongkorn’s major concern. He dealt with this problem in three ways:

• Chulalongkorn pulled the Northern states more closely into Siam’s orbit by curbing the power of local rulers, incorporating these states into his administrative system, and organizing new infrastructure, particularly the telegraph and the railway.
• Chulalongkorn moved to deal with lawlessness in the region, crushing local rebellions and organizing campaigns against banditry.
• Chulalongkorn tried to convince the rival European powers that Siam would make a useful buffer state between their territories.

In all this he was ultimately successful. The European powers could no longer convincingly claim that Northern Thailand was merely a barbarous collection of feudal states, under no real control, and in urgent need of the blessings of European civilization. Britain and France were also anxious that their imperial rivalries did not lead to war between them. Finally, in 1897 King Chulalongkorn was able to visit both France and Britain as part of a triumphant European tour in which he was accorded the full honors due to the monarch of an independent state.

Chulalongkorn and Chiang Mai

In Chiang Mai, King Chulalongkorn enlisted the support of American missionaries for his reform movement. He gave them land on which to build schools and hospitals (for example: the McCormick and McKean Hospitals, the Dara Academy and Prince Royal College, the Universities of Mae Jo and Payap) and supported them against the local ruler when he ordered all new Christian converts killed. In 1878 King Chulalongkorn decreed that all subjects of Siam were free to choose their own religion. The King also connected Bangkok to Chiang Mai by telegraph and ordered a survey for a railway. In 1886 he brought the local ruler’s daughter, Princess Dararasmi, to Bangkok, where she stayed with him as a consort until his death on October 23, 1910. On her return to Chiang Mai she built a house near Mae Rim. This has now been restored by Chulalongkorn University (founded in 1917 and named after the King), and is open to the public. Finally, Louis Leonowens, the son of King Chulalongkorn’s tutor, and a personal friend of the king’s, was one of the founders of the Chiengmai Gymkhana Club, home of the Chiang Mai Sixes International Cricket Tournament.

With beautiful beaches, green forested mountains, a rich culture and amazing food, It’s hard to find a place more beautiful than Thailand to take a vacation. Thailand offers a lot for the traveler, visitor and volunteer.

Volunteering While on Vacation

It’s great to have an enriching and eye opening experience while on vacation. However, while volunteering it’s also important to focus on one’s project and contribution while taking in the local culture and customs. Having fun and relaxing is part of any vacation, but in a volunteer vacation, it’s also important to work hard and contribute as much as one can during their project.

Traveling and Relaxing on a Thailand Volunteer Vacation

For those who have a significant amount of time to spend in Thailand during their volunteer vacation exploring, relaxing and finding a relaxing beach is what most do after completion of their project. This gives one a chance to reflect upon their volunteer experience before returning home. Considering long breaks and trips are not always an option for everyone, weekends during one’s volunteer project also offer an opportunity to explore and relax. Plus, enjoying a hard earned moment of relaxation or a cold beer with your fellow volunteers after a day of teaching, building or working with children can be a very rewarding. For ways that you can volunteer during your vacation in Thailand, click here.

English as a foreign language has been a part of the national Thai curriculum for as long as any one can remember. All primary, secondary and university students have English as a part of their weekly or daily class schedule. The wealthier schools throughout Thailand can afford the hefty salary required by foreign teachers. Considering most Thai students and children aren’t entitled to this luxury, we’d like to focus this posting on our volunteer teaching opportunities here in Thailand.

Volunteer Teaching Young Children in Thailand

It’s important to start linguistic education early, while the brain is still very open to language acquisition. In our English Education Project volunteers are able to work in underprivileged public schools that offer kindergarten and primary levels of study. This is where our volunteers have the most fun with songs, games and lively activities. For more information about our English Education Volunteer Project, click here.

Volunteer Teaching Novice Buddhist Monks

The poorest and most underprivileged schools in Chiang Mai, and throughout Thailand, are the temple schools. Due to the high expense of foreign teacher salaries, none of the temple schools are able to afford a fulltime foreign teacher.

Our Teaching Monks Volunteer Project was the first of its kind when the project started in 2007. In this project each volunteer is able to build upon the successes of those prior and learn about the beliefs and customs of Thai Buddhism. For more information about our Teaching Monks Volunteer Project, click here.

Volunteer Teaching University Students

A whole different type of academic experience is waiting for volunteers in our International University for Monks Volunteer Project. Students from countries throughout Southeast Asia find themselves here in Chiang Mai to receive a university education and study Buddhism. Unlike our other teaching projects, the experience volunteers in this project have is highly dependant upon their education, experience and teaching abilities.

Some help the fulltime professors with their lessons and work, whereas others have special, elective classes assembled especially for their project. For more information about our International University for Monks Volunteer Project, click here.

For more information on our Thailand volunteer projects (including our three teaching projects) click here.

Choosing a Volunteer Organization and Project

There are a lot of organizations offering volunteer placements in Thailand. Some are small, grassroots NGOs, whereas others are large organizations that offer placements throughout the world. Both types of organizations have their goods and bads. Project placements aside, reading up on the work these organizations do, their philosophies and experience is very important. When volunteering here in Thailand you not only participate in a project, but also become a part of a team and a representative of an organization. You’ll want to make sure this is the organization that you want to support, promote and become a part of.

Finding a project that fits your experience and abilities is key. It’s not necessary to be an expert in an area, but a working knowledge of what you’ll be doing will greatly assist in the contribution you are able to provide. Volunteers that have never picked up a hammer probably should avoid building projects, unless they plan on getting some good, fast, hands-on experience prior to their departure. To view our Friends for Asia Volunteer Thailand projects, click here.

Familiarity in an area will certainly make for a smoother experience. I received the advice to spend time in a school setting prior to my first volunteer teaching experience. I followed this advice, and spent a few days shadowing teachers at an elementary school near my home. Picking up some really good classroom techniques and becoming comfortable in a school environment was really helpful before standing in front of my first class in Kyrgyzstan, and then Thailand. I highly advise all volunteers to receive as much experience as they can in the area they will be volunteering in prior to their departure from home.

Local Volunteer Coordinators

One thing that has always surprised me is that I receive 10 times more questions from prospective volunteers about clothes, laundry, transportation and weekend activities than I do about project coordination. Yes, clothes, washing them and transportation are important. However, more importantly is the team of staff coordinators that will be organizing your volunteer experience, dealing with any issues that arise or helping you in an emergency. It’s vital to any volunteer experience that coordinating staff are natives to the area, possess fluent English speaking skills, understand western culture, are well educated, dependable, and there when you need them.

At Friends for Asia our Safety and Security Coordinator has a master’s degree in international development. Three of our five coordinators have lived abroad for years. Our coordinator responsible for our teaching projects has a bachelor’s degree in teaching English as a second language, and five years teaching experience. For more information about our Friends for Asia volunteer coordinating staff, click here.

When to Volunteer in Thailand

The high season for tourism in Thailand is during the northern hemisphere winter of December, January and February. The weather during this time is beautiful, with warm sunny days and cool nights. The possible draw back to this time of lovely weather, is that it’s no longer a secret. Chiang Mai and Thailand see quite an influx of foreign faces during this time of year. Depending upon one’s interests this could add or take away from one’s experience.

The Thai school summer runs from March to mid-May, with the mid-school year break through most of October. Therefore, school and teaching projects during this time of year are not available. Click on the following icons to view our project pages for our English Education and Teaching Monks Volunteer Projects.

For an added cultural experience, it’s ideal to volunteer during one of Thailand’s festivals or holidays. Songkran (the Thai new year) is in mid-April and is all about water fights, making merit and having fun. Loy Krathong is a holiday where Thais give thanks to the rivers and water ways that bring them life and prosperity. Loy Krathong occurs during the full moon in November and is celebrated with prayers, the release of small, intricately made banana leaf boats into the river, hot air lanterns and fireworks. The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is in early February, and is celebrated with parades, beauty pageants and flowers, flowers everywhere.

I hope that this advice about volunteering in Thailand is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Playing, painting, coloring, cooking, singing or just giving a hand to hold or a shoulder to hug… The variety of ways volunteers are able to contribute to the well being of children in our projects is limitless. Not only are our volunteers able to contribute in countless ways, but we also have a variety of projects that cater to those who are interested in volunteering with children.

Anyone who has worked with children will know that you’ll have to be patient and expect the unexpected. We have found that the volunteers that bring the most to these projects are flexible, energetic and able to think on their feet.

“The children were always so happy and excited to do basically anything with the volunteers. Walking into the daycare and having a bunch of children run up to you because they are so excited to see you is definitely a great feeling!” – Katia Grant, 2009 – Care giving at Single Mother’s Home volunteer

Childcare Projects in Thailand

Our Orphanage, Care giving at a Single Mother’s Home, Girl’s Home and Trafficking Prevention volunteer projects all focus on direct childcare. However, all these projects also allow volunteers to contribute in varoius other ways, whether it is gardening, teaching English, cleaning or cooking.

It can be a bit difficult to know how close to get with the children, as that teary last day in the project is always around the corner, so we don’t want to let the children (and ourselves) get too attached. Whereas at the same time, we also want to put forth our best effort, work, energy and love to these kids that need it most.

“Hearing the laughs and seeing the smiles of the mothers and children was the most rewarding part of the whole experience.” – Shannon Ng, 2009 – Care giving at Single Mother’s Home volunteer

Teaching Children Projects

Another aspect of working with children is through education and teaching. Our volunteers are able to contribute in two teaching projects where they often learn as much as they teach. Our Teaching Monks Volunteer Project was our first and one of our most popular to date.

“My favorite experience was my time spent with the novices. They are quite remarkable. Many are quite funny, as well. The energy and enthusiasm that most of them exude is delightful.” – Dia Cooley, 2008 (our first volunteer)

With schools ranging in size from a few hundred students to a few thousand students our English Education Project has a wide variety of schools where volunteers are able to give, teach and learn.

Men Volunteering With Children

The stereotype is that mostly women participate in projects that involve childcare. Yet, it’s important to remember that all children need attention and playtime with a caring adult male, whether it is a big brother figure, or just a big playmate. The attention and liveliness men bring to playtime with kids is a very important part in the social development of children – especially young boys. For this reason, we equally encourage men to volunteer in projects with kids as much as we do women.

“The students smile at you every time they see you and appreciate your time and help.” Michael Ambroselli, 2008 – Teaching Monks

Safeguards for Volunteering With Children

There are steps and policies that need to be followed when working with children, especially those who have been through traumatic events, like in our Trafficking Prevention Project, or are HIV positive, as in our HIV Orphanage Project. We do cover basic “do’s” and “don’ts” about how to be successful in these childcare projects, but reading up and gaining experience in these areas prior to one’s departure from home is always an incredibly helpful leap in the right direction.

Understandably, there are a lot of steps involved with making an international volunteer trip a reality. Another bureaucratic step in this process is certainly not a welcome one. However, for the safety and well being of the children in our projects, we do require all volunteers that participate in child care projects to submit a clear criminal police background check.

There’s a lot to think about for young women who decide to take the leap and volunteer in a foreign place by themselves. How do locals view women? Will there be other women volunteering with me? And of course… Is it safe for a woman?

Our Volunteer Coordinators

Walaiporn (our manager) Pajaree, Pasawee and Wanwisa (our three full time coordinators) are women. Walaiporn lived in the United States for three years and Pajaree is half German. These coordinators understand issues related to foreign women here in Thailand and do their best to make our female volunteers feel welcome and comfortable.

Nirandr, our safety and security coordinator has two adult daughters and keeps in mind the feelings of young women, when coordinating how to best keep our volunteers safe and secure. They do their jobs very well, considering 80% of our volunteers and interns are women.

Volunteering in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai was listed on Lonely Planet’s top ten cities to visit in 2011. In it’s write up on the list, Lonely Planet describes Chiang Mai as the following: “With a friendly, cosmopolitan feel, this is one easy, safe and pleasant place to explore.” Unlike many destinations in Thailand, Chiang Mai doesn’t require you to choose between creature comforts and the chance to meaningfully interact with the local culture. Instead, it generously offers both to volunteers set on getting the most out of their time spent in Thailand.

For more information about volunteering in Chiang Mai, click here.

Popular Volunteer Projects for Women

Our Orphanage, English Education and Girl’s Home volunteer projects have been very popular with women who want to volunteer with children or in an school atmosphere.

However, some of our female volunteers also enjoy getting their hands dirty and opt for our building and gardening project at a home for single mothers in crisis, or having fun bathing elephants and clearning elephant stalls in our Elephant Camp Volunteer Project.

For more information regarding volunteering in Thailand, please contact us.